Overview of Model User Interfaces

This chapter covers model user interfaces. User interfaces present a configurator model to the end user for interaction. A model can have a variety of user interfaces to fit different usages.

• UIs are composed of templates that represent UI items, and template maps that connect the templates to nodes in the model. At run time they are dynamically rendered together to present a user interface that accurately represents the model structure.

• A model can have a variety of user interfaces, to fit different usages.

• If no user-defined UI has been created for a model, a default UI is presented.

• You can generate UIs for a model, based on its structure, then further modify them, using the What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) page editor that shows live model data as it will appear at run time. When generating a UI, you can select from a predefined set of navigation styles.

• Some changes to the original product model are automatically reflected in its configurator model UIs, but certain changes must be explicitly performed.

• You can control the presence of items in the UI with display conditions.

• You can set applicability parameters that allow a model to use multiple UIs, each targeted to a different sales channel.

You access user interfaces in the following ways.

• Configurator Models work area > tasks panel tab > Manage Models page > Search > Versions > click a Draft or Version > Configurator Model or Edit Configurator Model page > User Interfaces tab

  The Edit Configurator Model page enables you to create and edit the structure, rules, and user interfaces of a configurator model. If the model is locked by another user, then you can only view the model.

• Configurator Models work area > tasks panel tab > Manage Workspaces page > Workspace page > click Name of participating model > Configurator Model or Edit Configurator Model page > User Interfaces tab